Why we are making a 1,966km trek to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup finals

For the last three months a group of England fans have been walking the roads of South America en route to the World Cup finals in Brazil. They have made friends – including a stray dog called Jefferson – and raised money for charity along the way

Why we are making a 1,966km trek to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup finals

For the last three months a group of England fans have been walking the roads of South America en route to the World Cup finals in Brazil. They have made friends – including a stray dog called Jefferson – and raised money for charity along the way

Before hosting its first World Cup match on 15 June, Porto Alegre’s Estádio Beira-Rio will witness another major event next Sunday when four England fans and an adopted stray Labrador make the final few steps of a 1,966km trek that has taken them across three South American countries on foot in time for the the 2014 World Cup finals.

Since watching Italia 90 as an impressionable seven-year-old it has been a dream of mine to be part of the crowd at a World Cup. With this year's tournament being hosted in one of the sport’s spiritual homes, it was impossible to resist the chance to join three friends – Adam Burns, Pete Johnston and David Bewick – on a project that would not only see this happen but realise that old travelling cliché of getting there being half the fun.

The idea to trek 1,966km – a distance that corresponded with our country’s finest World Cup achievement – was first conceived over a late-night drink in a bar. From the Andean city of Mendoza to the World Cup host city of Porto Alegre, the route would traverse the countries of England's group opponents Uruguay and historic rivals Argentina before arriving in Brazil. It would take a lot of savings and a career break, but this was a unique opportunity to be part of a project we would one day recount to our grandchildren.

On the road. Photograph: David Bewick

Given Brazil’s mixed reception to hosting the tournament it was crucial to us to leave behind a legacy; something the World Cup itself promises the Brazilian people. A family link to the J de V Arts Care Trust, a charity founded by Brazilian sculptor Josefina de Vasconcellos and dually based in the Lake District in the UK and Brazil, provided a way of doing just that.

In direct contrast to the former location, the latter has suffered its worst drought in a generation, with desperate water shortages causing the deaths of a million cattle, the failure of corn and cassava crops and the lives of up to 10 million people to be irreversibly affected. Our target was, and still is, to raise £20,000 that will go entirely to the construction of a water bore into a proven aquifer to supply water for drinking, irrigation and agriculture.

By the time I joined the project it was quickly gathering momentum, with good-luck video messages received from England legends Alan Shearer and John Barnes. Website creation, fundraising and equipment planning followed, with two of the team flying to Mendoza a month before the walk started to check the route and sharpen up on their Spanish. But switching from the cosy environs of a language class and a camping store to the hard shoulder of an Argentinian highway proved a reality check.

After quickly realising our backs wouldn’t support the 20kg of equipment we each have to carry, we bought a golf trolley to help us push it all from place to place. Three months of walking five days a week at a rate of 30km-per-day has been our routine since the beginning of March, with nightly accommodation a mixture of roadside camping, abandoned train stations, budget hotels and the generosity of those we’ve met en route.

Highlights have included an ad hoc football match in the rural Argentinian village of Balde, whose population turned out in force; traversing Uruguay’s stunning Atlantic coastline – including the one-of-a-kind hippy/fisherman community, Cabo Polonio – and rest periods in capital cities Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The places we’ve witnessed have surpassed all expectations.

Playing football with the locals on the way to Porto Alegre. Photograph: David Bewick

The locals have welcomed us into their homes to debate the likely outcome of this summer’s tournament – from the elderly Uruguayan Aldo (who would be happy just to finish better than Argentina), the outspoken Brazilian backpacker, Julio (who wants Brazil to lose in the final so the country do not lose sight of the problems inherent with the tournament’s funding) to a Buenos Aires taxi driver’s conspiracy theories surrounding the omission of Carlos Tevez.

Beyond the physical exhaustion, the 1,966km trek has had its fair share of mental struggles too. Even with the help of Google Maps, locating a safe place to stay, camp and cook as darkness descends has led to its fair share of tricky situations. Add into the mix terrible weather, routes taken through deserts and along live train lines (a mistake never repeated), near run-ins with Toyota Land Cruisers and perilous wildlife including aggressive bulls, snakes and deadly Jacarés (yes, we had to Google them, too).

We’ve also become experts on a range of topics – asphalt types, roadside-verge management – as we’ve undergone long stretches of monotonous highway. Blisters the size of golf balls, muscle strains, recurring sciatica, sunstroke and beard-itch have been tough but we have kept each other’s morale high during the low points.

A major turning point was a chance encounter with a stray dog in a small beach town just short of Punta del Este. The first few hours he followed us hoping – we guessed – for a food handout. Yet 500km further down the track the far from fragrant dog has become the most loyal of mascots, dubbed Stinky Jefferson (for reasons only half-known) and donning England’s France 98 shirt, crossing the Brazilian border and bemusing or winning over the hearts of the locals in equal measure.

Stinky Jefferson Photograph: David Bewick

Both a morale booster and social-media icon, he’s been a inconceivably welcome addition to the team. Since he started following us another objective of the walk has emerged: finding a suitable home for Jefferson once we reach the end of the road. We’ve had offers from Brazilian friends willing to rehouse him, although we haven’t ruled out taking him home with us.

We have less than a week to reach Porto Alegre and a lot of fundraising still to do. Yet through witnessing the generosity of strangers and our chance encounter with Jefferson – a true modern-day Pickles – we believe we’re on course to reach all of our goals. Which will just leave the action on the pitch. Roy, Rooney and Raheem, soon it’ll be over to you.

Entering the final stretch. Photograph: David Bewick

You can receive updates from the Walk to the World Cup team on their Facebook page and donate to Jefferson and the boys through their JustGiving page or by texting WTWC66 and the amount (e.g. £20) to 70070